The End of Earth
by Eriisu-April
Summary: Spoiler Alert for Breaking Dawn. A mysterious man appears, and the little town of Forks is thrown into another invisible war. chapter 2 is up
1. Chapter 1 Cowboy

start ===========

_I could see that now—how the universe swirled around this one point. I'd never seen the symmetry before, but now it was plain. The gravity of the earth no longer tied me to the place where I stood. _

- Jacob Black

I have a question for you, child. Do you believe in vampires? Why would you? They are myths, nothing more than a drunkard's imaginings. Ancient webs spun from the dreams of the celestial sciences; of silver-allergic animals, grave stalkers needing nothing but living tissue to stave off the eternal 'munchies', hermitic beings that concoct elixirs with a thing for fuzzy assistants and small, shiny objects, birdmen and fish women, giant insects and reptiles with nothing better to do than terrorize decent folks, etcetera… All spawned from the dream world. And what danger is there of a mere dream?

That is my thoughts exactly… at least they were. Now that I am nothing more than the same, what other Cursed Ones could be around us, unawares?

The man shook his head free of philosophy – it's pointless for a simpleton to think round in circles. He had many things to do this morning, and daydreaming was far down the list.

The sharp bell made the man wince as he wandered into a small goods building.

"Hello, sir! Welcome to Newton's Sports."

The man nodded, looking at the fancy equipment used for outdoors sports. How an outdoor-sports shop survived in constant rain eluded him. The staring gaze did not. Of course, he would look strange and out of place now; it had been a long time since he came to a town.

He glanced from the male's clothing to his own. A pair of strange slacks and a striped, red and white cotton shirt was the work uniform, along with the name tag reading _Mike_ in bold font. Wearing the faded and dirty dress shirt, mud plastered blue jeans and weathered leather jacket, the foreigner appeared to have jumped out of an old shoot'em-up movie. He was sure the heavy boots did not help much.

"So, are you looking for anything specific, mister…?" Mike asked, moving from behind the counter.

"Oh, just some supplies and ammunition."

The kid eyed his sidearm quickly. "We don't have any rounds or anything like that, but we've got plenty of gear for hiking, camping, fishing, mountain climbing, kayaking, even archery… What did you have in mind?"

"Just a little hunting," the man in cowboy gear answered smoothly. Then he flashed a brilliant, one-sided smile. "Tell me, Michael, have there been any strange disappearances recently?"

Mike gave him a curious look. "Sir?"

"Pets, tourists, wildlife–that sort of thing? Or maybe in nearby villages?" The man winced when he noticed how out of date he sounded. Thankfully Mike found the term quaint. His eyes roamed from side to side as he searched for information.

"Well, things have been crazy, I guess. There were some bear attacks last summer. But we've been way lucky compared to Seattle and Port Angeles. They've had two serial killers since then."

The man stilled, stopped his casual inspection of a Swiss army knife. When he had the cowboy's full attention, Mike continued.

"At first, the news said it was the same guy, but later police said the second one was a copy cat."

The man raised his left hand to his chin, thinking deeply.

"Um, look…" Newton sighed. "If you walk out of here without even looking at something, Dad's not gonna let me leave early. Can I just show you the jackets until he gets back?"

='='='='=

The man actually found the boy well informed, and talked with him about the small town of Forks, Washington. He learned about the school, the people, the reservation beach, and…

"The Cullens?" he cut in.

"Yes, Sir." Mike abruptly went quiet, like he was about to discuss something illicit.

"What do they look like? I shall like to meet them."

"Well, there's Mr. Carlisle Cullen; he's a great doctor, and Mrs. Esme Cullen is very nice. But I guess they couldn't have kids, since all of their kids are adopted. But there are a lot of rumors around school about them being… really close family. I mean, they're not blood related or anything, but…"

The man raised an eyebrow. It was none of his business what preferences these people had, if they could give him information. Mike fidgeted, embarrassed.

"Rosalie, Jasper and Mr. Cullen all have blonde hair. The short one is Alice…"

"Anything else?" The other brow rose at the wistful smile braking Mike Newton's newfound humility.

"You'll recognize them instantly." And then Mike had a surprisingly sharp look aimed at him. "Why are you asking so many questions?"

A pause, and the man opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted. "Look, if they're in some sort of trouble, leave Bella out of it, okay? She got here and started hanging out with them—" The man's nose twitched at the emotion in that last word—" and then nearly killed herself over them when they left the first time. And now, she just got married to the bastard, so whatever you do, don't you hurt her over it. Her dad's chief of police, so-" the man put up a hand to stop the emotional teenager before he said something to regret.

"I don't know these Cullens or anything about them." Mike waited with baited breath.

The man continued, "I'm looking for someone... I have a feeling that he may have run into these Cullens, if anybody in this town."

"Oh." The boy fidgeted. To ease his humility, the stranger shrugged on his new, modern jacket and picked up the sack that held the rest of his items. He was just glad that his money was still good here.

"Is there an Inn somewhere nearby?"

"Oh, sure." Mike Newton gave the directions, along with the location of a supermarket. "They don't serve breakfast there, so it's Be-Why-Oh-Be only." The man stared at him oddly, but then shook it off.

"Thank you, Michael." The boy gave a sideways grin.

"It's my job."

The man headed to the door, and Mike hesitated. "Hey, uh," Mike scratched his head nervously. "If you run into Bella, can you tell her, 'Hi,' for me?" The man nodded, and was gone. As he left, another, older looking man stepped inside, eyeing the man's heavy bag of new equipment

"Way to go, Mike!" he greeted with a wide smile. Mike Newton smiled in return.


	2. Chapter 2 Stray Dog Strut

the End of Earth Ch2  
author: Eriisu-April  
word count: 1541  
pages: 5

CH 2 =========== Stray Dog Strut

"_We are stray dogs, who is fooled us, you know? Nothing we get in a wave alone. We'll go undercover; we can find the dog bite, that's right!"_

- The Seatbelts (Doggy Dog, Vitaminless album)

The kid was right; the motel didn't serve breakfast.

"What bad hosting," the man muttered, passing into the cold supermarket air. The air smelled stale to him, cramped and metallic from old air conditioning units. He walked strait to the bread aisle. A delicious smell broke through his weighing of the options—chocolate or powdered—right before a delicate hand plucked one and held it in front of him. He followed the arm to a strong smile.

"These kind are better; they taste like actual food," she said in a voice to match her face.

"Hmm," he gave a light smile back. "I see." He reached for the small package until she snapped it back onto the shelf.

"Or you could eat a home cooked meal with me." At his expression she chuckled. "Me and a friend," she then amended.

She held out her hand. "Name's Sue."

Hesitantly, he took her delicate-looking hand into his much bigger one. "Julian." Her eyebrows rose. Their hands dropped.

"That's a handsome name." She had moved down the aisle, so he missed the smile steadily growing at his expense. "Well, Mr. Julian, hope you're not allergic to potato soup."

='='='='=

Julian was starting to feel put out by this woman's remarks. But it seemed he had been accepted as a guest without his knowledge, so he dutifully carried the groceries up the porch steps of a two story, light blue house. The cold rain was seeping through his new jacket too fast for his liking, at any rate, and he felt the urge to shake himself. Noticing Sue was completely dry, he gave in.

"Hey!" she started, laughing. She caught some falling rain and threw it at him.

By the time the door opened, Julian had accomplished his soaking.

"Should I come back later?" the man at the door asked dryly. Sue smiled again, meeting this man's eyes.

"Hi, Charlie." She passed by him, and Julian followed quietly. He stopped short at the doorway.

"Julian, drop the bags in here," Sue said from a different room. He shook his head, and continued on.

The house was simple; more of a bachelors habitat than anything, though he saw old family photos hung on the walls. A large TV was the center of the living room, with a welcoming couch, an afghan thrown across the back. He could see a flight of stairs from the small kitchen doorway, though he didn't inquire.

The kitchen itself was small, but comfortable… until he walked in. each footstep made it seem to shrink around him. On the table-for-two sat a half emptied can of grease, and next to it a standard, police issued shotgun rested on newspaper. Safety on, he noticed. Along the walls were small bunches of drying grasses; half dried, presumably, because the air was always damp. The clumps drew his attention the most, so out of place for a man that worked fifty hours a week.

Julian set the plastic bags on the floor, and hit his head on the table with the return trip. This time he saw Sue grin. With practiced ease she rubbed the pain away from his scalp. He twitched at the contact, gave her a look of surprise.

"And what will the kids think about this?" Charlie asked, speaking slowly and deliberately in mock distress. Sue released the stranger's head and straitened, smirking now.

"Charlie, this is Julian…"

"Julian Ann." He held out his hand. Charlie took it with his own large hand.

"Chief of Police, Charlie Swan." The grips were firm.

"I saw him wandering the supermarket, and offered to make him dinner, too, since he's new in town." She added with a small scoff, "He was about to buy cheap donuts."

Sue left the room a moment. The two men took the chance to size each other up.

Charlie looked like a hardworking, quiet man with dark hair, thinning on the top of his head. Sharp eyes looked out from good cheekbones, a thin mouth set over a firm, square chin. His clothes were the expected sort of a busy man that could care less, though put together for expected company. Julian saw fair muscles work as the man positioned himself against the wall that lead back to the front room, and the exit.

"You're new here?" he asked. Julian nodded. Charlie stared him down. "Planning on staying long?"

"Not intentionally," Julian replied, rolling his shoulders. Charlie's attention shifted a few inches lower, and he fixed his shirt collar.

"Causing trouble?"

"No, sir, officer Swan."

Sue returned wiping her hands on a towel. She looked at the two of them and rolled her eyes, turning on the stove.

='='='='=

Julian was very impressed. Sue was a good cook, and the three ate in relatively comfortable silence.

"You don't have to do this," Charlie said to her. "Coming over every other night…" Sue smiled at him.

"You need a good meal now and again, too, Charlie Swan." She looked at her bowel, scooping the last bite. "And my boys aren't starving; they prefer Emily's cooking anyway."

"I doubt that," Charlie muttered quietly, beginning his third bowel. He stopped and glanced at Julian. "Can I help you?"

Julian jumped, and went back to eating. This was getting uncomfortable. A moment later he attempted conversation.

"You said something about children," he said softly. Sue smiled again. Her smiles were much brighter around Charlie.

"Yes; I live on the reservation with my two children, Seth and Leah… But I feed anybody that comes by, which is often. Those boys are always hungry," she said with a laugh, and retold a story involving a First Beach bonfire, but stopped when she looked at Julian. "Is something wrong?"

Julian shook his head again to clear it.

"If you aren't feeling well, you could stay here tonight." Charlie looked at her, about to say something.

"That won't be necessary," Julian said. He stood, and had to steady the table when it jumped from his motion. He carefully edged to the hallway and moved toward the door. "I should be going. Thank you for the meal."

Sue looked at him with clear eyes, and he looked away from them quickly. "Are you sure you're alright?" She stood as well. "Charlie was joking before. I'm not trying to pick you up or something like that."

Charlie made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a rebuttal, and she sent him a look. He studied his bowel as if the Holy Grail had landed into it. Julian stopped mid-reach for his jacket, turning to look at her.

"Why did you want me to come here tonight?" he asked.

She was silent a moment, finally answered, "You looked hungry."

Julian lost himself in thought a moment, shook his head again. He pulled his jacket from the coat rack, and opened the door. Sue followed.

"I'll drive you to the motel," she offered.

"I'll walk." Charlie stood up and walked to the door as well, obviously going into policeman mode.

"It must not rain much where you're from." Charlie nodded out the door, motioning to a monster in truck form sleeping in the driveway. Julian looked between it and his hosts. He nodded.

"Thank you…" Julian realized that she'd never given her last name.

In hopes of saving the somehow ruined evening, she smiled softly and held out her delicate-looking hand once more.

"Clearwater. Sue Clearwater."

Julian smiled in apology, though it did not reach his eyes. He brought her hand up and kissed it. Sue turned to Charlie, mixed emotions flitting across her fine features.

"I'll clean up here," she said after a moment. Charlie nodded. The stranger had already headed out, so he awkwardly clapped her shoulder. She smiled, and he left.

='='='='=

Julian smirked as he saw Charlie run back inside quickly, only to return with his shotgun. An officer through and through, he thought. He took a deep breath, and quickly covered his forehead with a large hand, groaning.

"What was that?" he asked aloud to himself.

He'd felt horrible the moment he stepped into that house. His nose was going haywire; old smells and new smells, different than what he'd ever experienced before. All except _that_ scent, but even it was different. It all gave him a headache. The driver's door opened, and slammed closed. The air around Charlie was suddenly heavy. With a sigh from the man, the spell broke and the monster roared to life.

He didn't understand what his sudden connection to Sue was, either. She had obviously been lying, or at least giving a half-truth, when asked what her intentions were. Even if she was a very kind woman, bringing an outsider along to dinner with a—apparently very close—male friend was unthinkable. Julian shook away the very thought that it was attraction. His hand moved down his face, rubbed the tension from his eyes, and dropped.

One thing was certain; he needed to find out what was going on, and fast.

------------- Author's note

I think it's clear by now that this story takes place after Breaking Dawn. So, yes, certain characters will be here and certain romances are in place, People Who Have Read BD. And no, the main character doesn't really know what happened either, People Who Haven't Read BD. You get to find out right along with him, so this does count as a spoiler alert.

I'm going to put a quote at the start of each chapter. I've seen it done in some of my favorite fan-fics here, and it gives an interesting start to each chapter. This one come strait from Cowboy Bebop, both the title and the song.

Tell me what you think of my character's name! Julian seemed to fit, and it does have a purpose. I chose Ann on a spur of the moment, and somehow it fits, too. :)


	3. Chapter 3 Conceal

The End of Earth ch3  
Author: Eriisu-April  
Page count: 5  
word count: 2,154

Chapter 3 ===== Conceal

_"The height of cleverness is to be able to conceal it."_

-- François de La Rochefoucauld

For the first time, Julian took notice of the cab. It was a monster, even on the inside; there was enough leg room for him to lean back if he'd wanted to. The floor pads were carpeted brown to match the seat fabric, flakes of rust sticking to it where it met the doors. A much newer stereo system nested perfectly in the spot where a cassette player once resided.

The suspension was good; he hardly felt the rain slick road. The roar of the engine was deafening, but when his attention focused elsewhere, it was less horrifying. Charlie turned the heater on, and the awful mix of smells hit him again. His nose burned, his eyes watered. He started a yawn to hide it.

Julian glanced at Charlie. If he was going to find out anything, he might as well start here.

"Charlie-"

"That's 'Officer Swan' to you," he corrected.

Julian winced. He thought a moment.

"I was not coming on to Mrs. Clearwater," Julian explained. Charlie made a sound. "Where I was born, it is still customary to show respect to the woman of the house in that manner."

Charlie started. "Sue isn't—"

Julian raised an eyebrow. Charlie sputtered, and then focused on the road to keep the car from sliding.

"Well, I assumed, seeing how she looks at you."

Charlie glanced at his shotgun through the rearview mirror. Probably a habit, Julian told himself. He carefully lightened the subject.

"She smiles at you," he continued. "Much more than when she's by herself, I'd venture."

A more comfortable silence filled the rest of the drive. When the truck was parked in front of the motel office, Charlie turned off the engine. He looked like he had something to say. Julian waited.

"What are you doing here? Tourists don't come to Forks." Charlie relaxed in the seat a bit after he spoke, and continued. "I'm chief of police. If you're in any kind of trouble—"

Julian shook his head quickly. "_I'm_ not. Really, I'm not in any…" Well, here was his chance… a willing participant. What did he say?

Charlie pounced. "Looking for somebody?" Silence filled the passenger seat. "So you think this person passed through here… Do they have a criminal record?"

Julian's lip twitched. Charlie was too dedicated for his own good. "You could say that."

Charlie did not like the way the Julian said that. He leaned back further into the time-softened seats. Julian absently looked out the window, gazed at the clouded sky while lost in his thoughts.

Very, very slowly, Charlie asked, "Is it something out of my jurisdiction?"

Julian looked at him, surprised. Charlie sighed, and summoned the concentration of a man who was better off not knowing. "Sue brought you back because of how you look; I'm sure of that. Those boys…" He faltered. Julian asked a question in hopes of giving him a break.

"Mr. Swan, what do you know about the Cullens?"

Apparently that was the wrong question. He rest his head to the steering wheel, letting loose the horn from hell.

"They won't be here for a while," was his only answer. Julian wasn't sure what to make of it, over the ringing in his ears.

"Swan?" Julian reached over to touch his shoulder.

In a drained tone, Charlie added, "It'll be sunny… for a few days."

Before Julian could say anything else, Charlie started the engine. He quickly opened the passenger door and stepped onto the concrete before closing the door. As soon as the old monster was out of sight, he started running down the highway in the opposite direction.

"A few days, huh?" Julian thought aloud. He raced over the flooded highway. "It just might be enough time."

='='='='=

The following morning woke Julian Ann with a knock on his room door. He was light headed as he rolled over, and waved at the door, as if it was to open at his signal. The knocking continued.

"Julian?"

He lifted his head.

"Julian, are you in there?"

With a sigh, he rolled once more, landed on his knees on the left side of the bed. He cursed as he tripped somewhere in the still dark room. The kind woman waited until he opened the door a bleary moment later. Before him stood Sue along with two more russet beings.

"Good morning," Sue greeted. She held out a small cooler for him to take. He made a sound and walked back inside, dropping the cooler onto the bed. He headed to the bathroom.

In the bathtub sat four shallow, plastic basins filled with red liquid. Julian put his hand through the solution, picking up some of the contents to examine them. He then picked up an eye dropper he'd left by the sink, and added a few drops to each container.

His work done and himself relieved, he washed his hands, spared the mirror a glance. He grimaced at the tired grey eyes and dark, dark brown hair that now bent around the broad shoulders of a laborer's son. He really should consider a haircut before leaving town. With a groan at the very thought of doing it himself, Julian flicked the water from his hands and went back into the small bedroom. He stopped short, seeing strange people in the room, until he spotted Sue folding his clothes, and he remembered.

The two new guests were both dark skinned, and dark of hair. The man was tall, well over Julian's height of nearly six feet. He shared the same eyes as Sue, dark and intelligent.

The woman was small and slim. Though her features were the same as the man, what drew his attention were the long, jagged scares stretching across her face and down into the bust of her shirt. Not because of how they marred her goddess-like beauty, but the thousands of questions his mind raised. Without thinking, his left hand moved to his chest.

"—Listening?"

"Hmm?" Julian responded oh, so elegantly. When his eyes looked again for the other woman, she was busying herself, face aimed away from him. The man was glaring at him.

Sue repeated patiently, "This is Emily, my niece, and her husband, Sam Uley."

Oh. Julian self-consciously nodded to them both. _Ass,_ his mind chided. _Caught gawking at the newly wedded wife by her husband; this feels like the start of a beautiful friendship. _

_Shut up, it's too early for this,_ he reprimanded.

"When I told them I was giving you a tour of the Reservation today—remember, and later I'll drive you to Port Angeles? You really weren't paying attention yesterday—Sam offered to come with, as the stand-in Chief," She concluded.

Julian glanced at the man in mild surprise. His instincts said it definitely was not an appearance of courtesy. Emily suddenly came forward, holding out a sandwich wrapped in plastic. It smelled delicious.

She said quietly, "If you're coming to the _Rez_ later, you should eat now; before the boys get out of school."

='='='='=

Sam suggested they head to Port Angeles first, and the drive was filled with the recent history of Forks, Washington. They told Julian of how it was a major logging town until the economy shifted. The families still living there had stayed for generations, and not many people came back once they passed through. By the time they reached Port Angeles, Julian knew that the most recent people to move to town had indeed been the Cullens and Isabella Swan.

Julian was allowed to wander on his own—after getting advice on which store sold what and what kind of quality to expect, before they separated.

"Meet us at the car before six o'clock," Sue reminded him. He nodded, and left them to their own devices.

His first stop was a small pawn shop, where he easily and cheaply sold the pocket watch he'd bought in London for ten pounds. Then, he went off to pay for his specialized ammunition at the weapons parlor, ordered the night before on rush delivery. The two clerks and a police officer inside straitened as Julian entered.

"Is this the guy?" the officer asked the two, and the manager nodded. To Julian he began, "They say you tried to pay with a silver dollar the other night, friend. Do you have the papers for those arms?"

Julian smiled slightly. He handed the man an old of folded paper. The officer carefully unfolded the document, and stared at it seriously.

"The Colt SAA was from my great-great-grandfather," Julian explained. His expression was one of embarrassment. "I'm using it in the next tournament, so I need the ammunition. I was so out of my head with planning, I dropped my wallet the other night. All I had on me was a replica coin." To prove his point, he took another silver dollar from a pocket, and bent it with his teeth.

The officer eyed him carefully. "Why are you using an antique for a show sport?"

Julian removed the Peacemaker from the holster at his hip and held it out for the men to inspect. "We've kept it far from the condition of an antique. Besides, the frame has been altered, and can't be considered an original anymore. All it's worth is a good luck charm." The clerk looked at the one hundred-fifty year old revolver in awe, and his boss glanced over his shoulder.

The piece looked a bit Frankenstein. The cylinder and barrel had been taken apart and sized for updated rounds at some point, and then replaced with a different mix of steel; the older frame had been stretched to meet the new screw holes, leaving it dented and odd-looking. Gone was most of the original finish, and a maze of scratches were left it its place. A puppy could have used it to break teeth, for all of them. The grip had also been replaced recently with new, water resistant leather to protect the hand.

The head clerk went back to his work station, losing interest.

With a more experienced eye, the officer emptied the rounds cleanly, spun the cylinder and snapped it shut before taking aim at a spot across the room. He pulled the hammer back, and fired. The sound of empty thunder echoed inside the building.

"So there isn't a serial number to read," the officer said thoughtfully. He handed the weapon to its owner.

"These papers are little more than worthless. I suggest you get new ones ASAP."

"Yes, sir," said Julian. He took the papers back, and pulled out his wallet.

With the first business concluded, Julian walked into the nearest bookstore carrying his rounds, and started when he set off a metal detector. _This is going to be a long afternoon_, he thought.

='='='='=

Three dark skinned humans sat around the car, Sam staring at his watch. Emily had finished her business early, and the couple was waiting for their companions to return.

"We should look for him," Sam said, referring to Julian Ann. He was hungry, and waiting on someone who may or may not be one of them was not his highest priority.

"It's only four o'clock, dear," Emily reminded him. "Stalking him isn't going to make him talk."

Sam rolled his eyed in a teasing way. "Jake told us to watch him until he and the leeches get back." Emily wrapped an arm around her mate's to help ebb his annoyance.

='='='='=

Julian trudged back towards the parked car around four-thirty that afternoon. In one hand were the bags of his purchases; in the other was a record of his _new and up to date_ weapon registrations, as he'd had to pull them out six times. He growled inwardly.

"This is why a hate cities; too many damn metal detectors. If I have to pose one more time for tourists…" His spine started to burn at the thought.

"Julian!"

He looked up and noticed the newlyweds waiting at the car.

"What's with the hat?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Got it free for my trouble," was the monotone reply.

Emily gave a small, knowing laugh. "Someone wanted pictures of a _real cowboy_, huh?"

"A Western store wanted me full time," Julian corrected with displeasure.

"Sue said she had a few last-minute things to do, but she'll be right back." Julian nodded. He caught the young woman sending a look to her husband.

"Did you find everything alright?" Sam asked reluctantly.

Julian gave another nod. He set his things into the open trunk, and finally put the documents inside his wallet one final time.

He was halfway through one of his new books by the time Sue returned.

"Is everyone ready?" she asked, then looked at their guest. "Well, howdy! Where did you get the hat?"

==== Author's Note

Hello, again, everyone, and many thanks to the people who submitted reviews. (when I'm not so scattered I will put your names in here :D) What do you know, I broke the 2,000 words bar. Chapter four is about half done, but next week is going to be busy... Plus, I've been lazy by playing Soul Caliber 4 instead of writing, so, meh...

The Colt SAA (Single Action Army) is basically recognised as the first standard revolver, and was patented by Samuel Colt in the mid-1800s. Another name for it was the Peacemaker(R). Please, please tell if I'm screwing anything up with the Colt SAA. I don't even own any handguns, so all of this stuff is from research and imagination; it's also important to Julian's character developement.

Anyway, Ch4 is gonna be long; it's already at six pages. Lots of familiar characters are going to be introduced, including the main pairing. Again, if you think I'm going too far with people who barely had a role in all 900 pages of Twilight, tell me what I'm doing wrong.

Oh, yeah. I put in the bit about "Tourists don't come to Forks" as irony. look it up if you don't believe me :D *continues beating asses with Yun-Seong/Yoshimitsu tag-team* ORAAA!


End file.
